Writer: Rodger Langridge
Art: Carlo Lauro
Publisher: Dynamite Comics
Price: $4.99
Release date: May 15, 2024
If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on the title/link to snag a copy through Amazon as you read the Justice Ducks #3 Review.
THE DISPATCH
It’s another fun adventure in Justice Ducks #3! This time, the Justice Ducks go out to the circus to celebrate Stegmutt’s birthday. Despite the disappearance of a valuable piece of city property, the group prioritizes a birthday celebration. They soon unwittingly stumble upon the villain behind the theft. Darkwing fans who remember the episode, “Getting Antsy” will find this story familiar. Only this time, rather than Darkwing shrinking, it’s the other Justice Ducks. The villain is another alien.
The villains in this series seem to be getting redundant. They keep using alien villain after alien villain who are all pretty forgettable characters. It would be nice if they brought back an old Darkwing villain once in a while to change it up a bit. It is interesting how Morgana uses her magic to deal with the situation, by using her powers to transform a bag of popcorn into a vehicle. Of course, no explanation is given in the story as to why Morgana can’t simply turn everyone back to normal size with her magic powers. However, there is still a bit of irony with the twist at the end and humor in the news reports regarding the city’s leadership. There is also a special editorial note explaining Launchpad’s absence in this issue.
ART
The art in Justice Ducks #3 is consistent and continues to reflect the Darkwing Duck animation style. There aren’t very many notable panels to speak of, though the circus is very detailed when we first see the Justice Ducks on their night out at the circus. Also, we do see characters who have appeared in previous Darkwing Duck comics such as reporters, Chip Dipson and Derp Derfson. Despite being unnamed here, they are clearly the same characters.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Justice Ducks #3 is enjoyable to an extent, but despite a bit of irony near the end, the plot for the most part feels redundant. The new characters introduced are forgettable, and the Justice Ducks aren’t really being challenged by any overwhelming threats. This is a downgrade compared to previous Darkwing Duck comics, which is disappointing since you’d expect a bigger threat since there are more heroes involved. Hopefully this comic will improve in future issues.